Racism may be behind shooting rampage

TWO men were arrested Sunday in a shooting rampage that left three people dead and terrorised Tulsa's black community, and police said one suspect may have been trying to avenge his father's shooting two years ago by a black man.

Police identified both suspects as white, while all five victims in the rampage early Friday were black.

Police and the FBI said it is too soon to say whether the attacks in Tulsa's predominantly black north side were racially motivated. Police spokesman Jason Willingham said that investigators are considering many possible motives but based on Facebook postings, revenge appeared to be a factor.

In a Thursday update on Facebook that appeared to have been written by 19-year-old Jake England, he angrily blamed his father's death on a black man and used a racial slur. He said Thursday was the second anniversary of his father's death.

"It's hard not to go off," given the anniversary and the death of his fiance earlier this year, the posting said.